Tobacco hornworm

Description:

It can be about an inch in its early instars, but in the later instars can reach three inches. The caterpillars are green with seven diagonal white stripes fringed with green and black, and a small orange and black circle on the side of each segment of its body (spiracles). It has a green horn on the posterior end of its body, which changes to red through its instars. The pictures show a progression through the caterpillar's instars (the caterpillar usually goes through five instars). The third picture shows the caterpillar after it has molted into its fifth instar, with the old skin hanging above it. The last picture shows the fifth instar in its "wandering" stage, when the caterpillar will start leaving for a place to dig into the ground and pupate. Its aorta, on the top of the body, can be seen visibly pumping.

Habitat:

Plants in the family Solanaceae.

Notes:

Look closely and you can see a planthopper in the first picture. Manduca sexta feeds on plants in the family Solanaceae, including tobacco, tomato, and Datura. It looks similar to the tomato hornworm, but the stripes on its side distinguishes it.